Binding post



C. ORLANDO BINDING POST Filed Nov. 17, 1944 INVENTOR. CARL ORLANDO ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1950 FIG.2

Patented Aug. 15, 1950 QUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y H BINDING POST Carl Orlando,Brooklyn,N.Y. A plication ovember-17, 1944, Serial No. 563,981

' i -Claims. (o1.17s-259 (Granted'under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended, April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) r The invention described herein may be manufactured'an'd used by or for the Government for governmental purposea'without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.-

This invention relates te -binding posts and more particularly to binding postsdesigned in one operationiboth to remove the insulation from a wire and to firmly-grasp the conductor of the wire. g

It is an object of this invention to provide a means'whereby insulation may readily be removed' from a wire. 7

It is another object of this-invention to provide ameans whereby the electrical conductors of a wire shall be grasped by the binding post in such a mannerthat it will be impossible for electrical contact to be lost due to mechanical vide a means whereby an insulated electrical conductor may be attached to a binding post so that a' minimum of insulation will be removed. B

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means whereby the foregoing objects may be accomplished in one operation. 7

It is another objectof this invention to provide a means of accomplishing the foregoing objects by the use of apparatus that shall be simple and inexpensive'to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of my invention, read in connection with the attached drawings;

Figure 1 is an elevationalview of one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the binding post of Figure 1.

. Figure 3is an exploded elevational view, partly sectioned, of saidbinding post.

-Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the fingers, hereinafter described, cutting through the insulation of a'wire and in position to firmly grasp the conductor.

Referrin to the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, the binding post comprises a cap a plunger 2 and a base member 3. The cap I comprisesan internally threaded hollowlcylindrical chamber open 'at one end and provided witha flange Hi, the closed end being pierced by an axial aperture 4. I The plunger 2,- designed to slidably move Iongitudinally within the base member 3, is positionable by the cap I. The said plunger comprises'a 'torked member 5. afithduppcr end of which is a shaft 6 terminated by a flange 7. The forked member 5 comprises fingers 8, 8, the lower ends of which terminate in cuttin edges 9, 9. The external faces of the fingers 8, a taper from their upper ends to the cutting edges 9, t, and are provided with two pressure shoulders 2i, two limiting shoulders 22 and with two bevel points iii. The internal faces of the fingers are substantially parallel.

The base member 3comprises an upper member it, a base plate It and an attachment member I2 symmetrically arranged about a common axis. The upper member Iii comprises an axially bored cylinder, the internal diameter of which is slightly greater than the greatest diameter of the plunger 2. The upper member it is provided with a screw thread l3, threadabiy engaged with the cap I aforesaid. The lower part 'of the upper member Hi bears a right angle slot 25 comprising a horizontal cut and a vertical out, which vertical cut includes the lower portion of the bore of the upper member l0.

The upper member i0 is equipped with a guide pin IT. This guide pin is located near the top of the upper'member l0, and transverses the center of this member parallel to the transverse axis of the vertical leg of slot l5. Located below guide pin I? are pressure pins 18, i8. These pressure pins are parallel to 'pin it and transverse the interior of upper member It close to its interior walls.

Base plate H is positioned between the upper member [0 and the attachment member E2. The base plate H is provided with an axial bore I9, which bore i9 is continued into the attachment member I2. The diameter of the bore i9 is less than the interior diameter of upper member it, and is slightly greater than the exterior diameter of fingers 8, 8 at their cutting edges s, 9. The base plate H is provided with beveled surface 20 to cooperate with the two bevel points it to facilitate admission of cutting edges 9, 9 into the bore I9 and to aid in forcing the fingers 8, 3 together after the said cutting edges 9, 9 have penetrated the insulation of the wire.

To assemble this embodiment of my invention, the shaft 6 is inserted through the axial aperture 4 and the flange l is then turned down. The cap I is then coupled to the base member 3 and the flange I4 is turned down. Thus in assembly the longitudinal position of the plunger 2 in the base member 3 is determined by the position of the cap 5. The axial alignment of the plunger 2 is fixed by guide pin ll, the'diameter of which pin is slightly less than the 3 horizontal dimension between the parallel interior faces of fingers 8, 8.

In operation, the cap I is raised to its greatest height on the base member 3, thus raising the plunger 2 to a point above the slot ii, in the base member 3. A wire to be attached to the binding post is then introduced through slot l5 and placed in the lower part zof the vertical leg. The cap is then screwed downward, forcing the cuttin edges 9, 9 through the insulation of the wire, as is illustrated in Figure 4. Due to the position of the guide pin H, the cutting edges 9, 9 strike the wire parallel to the axis of the wire. At this point, the insulation from the wire has been displaced and the fingers 8, 3 are eleotrical contact with the conductor of the wire. As the plunger is further forced downward, the pressure pins [8, l8 engage :a greater dimension of the plunger and force the fingers oi the plunger together. Thus the two pressure shoulders 2!, are so located that they engage the pressure ,pins 18,, 48 as the cutting points 9, 9 enter the bore 19. This action results in the fingers tightly gripping the conductor; thus, when the cap is at its lowermost position, the cutting edges 3, 53 have penetrated through the insulation of the Wire and have firmly grasped the conductors. The lower parts of the fingers extend into the bore I9, thus aiding the pressure exerted against the fingers by the pressure pins l8, Hi.

My invention thus discloses a simple and convenient means whereby an insulated conductor may be attached to a binding post. A permanent lead-in wire may be attached to the post in any convenient manner. Since the electrical circuit is through the base member to the plunger, these parts must be made of electrical conductive material. The cap may be made of any convenient material, whether conductive or not.

Although one embodiment of this invention has been shown iti's realized that imanymodifications and changes in this invention are possible. It is realized, for instance, that. instead or the pins 43-, b8 ccacti/ng with beveled areas on the fingers, that the downward movement of the cap might be utilizedto iorce'inwardly-moveable parts on the base imember that :at the proper time would exert a closing pressure on the fingers. It is also realised that other means than guide pin I! might be utilized to guide the piungerd. It is therefore intended the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as lie within the-spirit of this invention.

32 claim:

-1. A binding post piercing the insulation on a wire and gripping the conductor therein, comprising an electrical conducting base Enemb'ei having an axial aperture for the admission of a cutting-and gripping member and a lateral orifice m the admission of a wire "opening to said axial aperture, ia=cutting and gripping-memr-be'r comprising elongated electrical co "ducting member having two longitudinally d-i fingers ccaxialily dispose'd within-said base her, said fingers being beveled on their 1 :ternal faces, substantially parallel on their internal. faces and bearing cutting edges on their extreme ends, a cap member threadabl y coupled to said base member and adapted to move said cutting and gripping member longitudinally withi aid base member along the apertu'raand' .eans within said base member to cooperate with :said beveled edges "on s'a'idfingers to force said fingers togetherzfor gripping the conductor of the wire aeiaaso after said cutting edges have been forced through the insulation of the wire, said base member and said cutting and gripping member being in electrical contact with each other.

2. In a binding post for an insulated conductor, the combination with an electrically conductive partially hollow base formed with an aperture, said aperture being formed at least in part by bearing surfaces and a lateral slot leading to said aperture for the admission of said insulated conductor, of an electrically conducting cutting and gripping member comprising two fingers integrally connected at the upper ends and having cutting edges at the lower ends, the internal faces of said fingers being disposed substantially parallel to each other and the external faces of said fingers being inwardly tapered from the upper end to, the cutting edge, means for longitudinally displacing said cutting and gripping member towards and into said aperture in said electrically conducting base member, said bearing surfaces and external faces coming into camming engagement at a predetermined point of said longitudinal displacement so that when said insulated conductor is positioned in said slot proximate to and in the path of said cuttin edges, substantially transversely of said'fingers and substantially parallel to said internalfaces, upon longitudinal displacement of said cutting and gripping member, said cutting edges .penetrate the insulation on opposite sides of said conductor and said fingers straddle said conductor and, upon operation of said camming engagement, said fingers are movedinwardly to grip said conductor and make electrical contact therewith.

3. Ina binding post for an insulated conductor formed with an aperture, .said aperture being formed at least in part by bearing surfaces, an electrically --conducting cutting and gripping member comprising two fingers integrally connected at the upper ends and having cutting edges 'at the lowerends, the internal faces of said fingers being disposed substantially parallel to each other and the exter nailfaces of said fingers being inwardly tapered from their upper ends to their cutting edges, said cutting and gripping member having a :-longitudinal operable :movement towards and into said aperture, said external faces coming into camming engagement with said bearing surfaces to urge said fingers toward each other during the latter portion of said longitudinal movement .so that when said insulated conductor is positionedprox-imate to and in the path of said cutting edges, substantially transversely of said fingers and substantially parallel to said internal faces, upon longitudinal operable movement of said cutting zand gripping member, said cutting "edges penetrate the insulation onopposite-sides of said honductor and said fingers straddle said 'conductor and, upon operation of said -camming engagement, said fingers are moved inwardly to grip said con- (Motor and make electrical contact therewith.

4. A binding post for acable made up of a conductor with insulation thereon, comprising a base member formed with :an aperture, said aperture being formed at least in part by cam surf-aces, a plunger having an-operable movement relative to said 'base member and including two substantially parallel-fingers which are spaced apart substantially the width "of said conductor, :said fingers having edges to! cutting insulation on their extremities and cam follower surfaces on their outer facea said'cam follower surfaces being engagcable with said "'cam surfaces on the base member during the latter portion of said operable movement of the plunger so as to urge the extremities of said fingers toward each other, and means to operably move said plunger, so that a cable may be operably positioned relative to said plunger and during the operable movement of said plunger, the said fingers first cut through the insulation and straddle the conductor and are then urged inwardly to grip said conductor and make good electrical contact therewith;

CARL ORLANDO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

France Oct. 28, 1921 

